The scale that I have had for the last few years is pretty accurate; I have calibrated it relative to 2 gym scales and they report the same weight to within a half pound.
However, my home scale only reads to the half pound- so I can be 219.0 or 218.5, but my scale will never tell me that I'm 218.6 or 218.8.
Personally, I think I prefer it this way. Due to the usual fluctuations in weight throughout the day / over the course of a couple days, I think my lower-precision scale helps keep me focused on the overall trend and I don't personally see (as much of) the smaller daily changes that might otherwise make me feel down.
I don't weigh daily but I could see where that makes a difference. I like my scale which uses .2 of a lb but I have also come to see the scale as a tool, not just a way to measure weight. So for me. the .2 works well but if .5 works well for you, then that is great too!
This decimal place stuff is pretty neurosis inducing, I reckon. My scale does weigh to the tenth of a lb (I reckon), but right now mine measures in kilos and .5 of a kilo is more than a pound. I'm weighing daily, but moving the ticker over only once a week.
My scale will weigh to the half pound above 200 pounds, and below 200 it weighs to .2 of a pound. That makes sense but yeah, at 279 pounds, is a tenth of a pound really impacting my health? Ha! I do like numbers to move, no matter how small though.
Mine weighs to the .2, but mainly I just focus on what the whole pound number is. Although to be honest, I get really excited if it's gone down by some part of a pound if I've been trying hard and just assume it's water weight if it goes up.
Mine weighs to the .2, but mainly I just focus on what the whole pound number is. Although to be honest, I get really excited if it's gone down by some part of a pound if I've been trying hard and just assume it's water weight if it goes up.
Ha ha, yes, this is exactly it. I prefer avoiding that second rationalization part (even if it's completely logical and accurate!), and I'm willing to trade the exciting small decreases for it.
Also - Vex... I love GrumpyCat / Tarder Sauce. She is my favorite.
I just bought a digital scale after having a dial scale. It weighs to the .2 lb, and like others, I agree it's a pretty small difference to be concerned with.
I weigh daily and am recording my weight in MFP, but I only update here when it seems 'solid'.
It's just a number--I know it's just a number--but it does seem to affect my mood.
I'm not a disciplined person, so I need all my equipment and partners to be brutally honest. I had a dial scale, and it would give me 3 different readings on 3 consecutive weighs in a 5 minute period depending on how I stood, how I stepped onto it, etc. I like my digital scale because I can't lie to myself. It's so easy to fool me with a dial scale because of the different factors that influence its accuracy. "I think the zero was off before I stepped on, let's deduct a half pound for that." or "I'm leaning forward to read it over my tummy without my glasses, so that's gotta add at least like 2 pounds". And then if I did lose, I was never sure if I truly lost or if it was just a funky reading on the scale. None of those things affect my digital scale, so I know that the number on there is a true reading. For better or worse.
Last edited by HelloNurse; 02-03-2013 at 02:26 PM.
Mine weighs to the .2, but mainly I just focus on what the whole pound number is. Although to be honest, I get really excited if it's gone down by some part of a pound if I've been trying hard and just assume it's water weight if it goes up.
I'm the exact same way! I try to focus on the downward trend rather than the exact numbers, but seeing the pounds drop even a little is motivating.
My scale is a piece of ****! It's not even digital. But I know it's not playing an evil joke on me and telling me I'm 201lbs when I'm really 130. I eat healthily, it goes down. I eat loads of junk, it goes up. When I get to 175 I'm going back on the pill so will need to do the dreaded weigh-in at the doctor's office. I'll probably say 180 in there because of clothes and the fact it's not first thing in the morning.
I weigh daily as well as I'm tracking the overall trend in an app on my phone. I have always had truly horrendous periods and I want to monitor how my weight fluctuates due to that. Also, I've been less freaked out by the occasional 1lb increase because I see the overall line on my graph going down.
I think if I had scales that were too precise, I'd drive myself mad over the tiniest fluctiluations.
I have a digital that reads to the .2, but I only record the whole number. I don't bother with the fractions. I don't even pay attention to them, really.
We do body composition weekly at the center. It really is quite interesting. So many things can happen on the scale. The number alone is really quite misleading at times.
Jez's point on water was interesting. 0.2 pounds is 90.7185 grams. A cup of water (8 oz) weighs 236.588 g. Interesting, right?
The number on the scale doesn't rule me, but it can remind me to make better decisions if I see the scale fluctuate quite a bit in the morning.
Anyone else prefer a lower precision scale?
